Panaji, Feb 20 : Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are an exogenous (non-natural) chemical or mixture of chemicals that interferes with any aspect of hormone action. There is good reason to suspect that increasing chemical production and use is related to the growing incidence of endocrine-associated disorders over the past 20 years, including male reproductive problems, early female puberty, cancers, and neuro-behavioural disorders, according to an expert.
Speaking to UNI, Dr Naresh Purohit, Advisor-National Cancer Control Programme, averred that the exponential growth of pollutant discharges into the environment due to increasing industrial and agricultural activities is a rising threat for human health and a biggest concern for environmental health globally.
”Several synthetic chemicals, categorized as potential environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), are evident to affect the health of not only livestock and wildlife but also humankind. In recent years, human exposure to environmental EDCs has received increased awareness due to their association with altered human health as documented by several epidemiological and experimental studies. EDCs are associated with deleterious effects on male and female reproductive health; causes diabetes, obesity, metabolic disorders, thyroid homeostasis and increase the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers. These EDCs act via various receptors through a variety of known and unknown mechanisms including epigenetic modification,” he said.
Quoting his recent scientific study published in the Asian Journal of Environmental Health, Lead Author and acclaimed Epidemiologist, Dr Purohit said most of the information on the detrimental effect of EDCs comes from animal studies.
”It is becoming more evident that EDCs may trigger disorders such as metabolic diseases, reproductive abnormalities, endocrine dysfunction and cancers of thyroid, breast, uterus, testis and prostrate. The sudden escalating rates of these diseases, especially metabolic disorders, correlate with global industrialization and the production and release of EDCs to the environment, drinking water and eventually to food chain,” he said.
Principal Investigator of the Association of studies for hormonal disorders, Dr Purohit said,” Initially, cancer was considered to be a disease of old age. Then it was learnt that it is caused by lifestyle, that is years of abuse of the body by a cancer-producing substance like tobacco or alcohol. But the modern day cancer patients are not old, nor have they abused any substance long enough for it to produce cancer.”
He said in the time frame when the number of cancer cases grew, other diseases like diabetes, infertility, obesity, thyroid problems, autism and attention deficit disorders had also shown a steady growth.
”All these diseases are linked to the endocrine system, hormones and hormonal regulation in our body. The hormones keep our body in balance, maintaining homeostasis (regulation of internal conditions to keep them stable), and guiding growth and development,” he said, adding, ”The current epidemic of diseases suggests that the balance of our endocrine system has been disrupted.”(UNI)